And that's all, folks!

I know, I know, I didn't tell you what all was in Pilate's Testimonium.  And I certainly didn't publish anything about the remarkable events that followed - the release of the translation, the car bombing, the media circus, the assault of the skeptics, and the attempted murders - not to mention how things between me and Isabella worked out.  But my friend Lewis Smith has worked very hard on his book about our experiences, THE TESTIMONIUM, and it is being released in two days by Electio Publishing. So please!  Buy the book and read our story for yourselves.  My journal entries posted here are only the beginning of an incredible adventure . . . .

And you can order it on Tuesday, August 12, 2014, directly from the publisher!
Available in paperback and EBook format!

http://electiopublishing.com/

Pilate's Scroll Opened!!!!

SENSATIONAL ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY TO BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY BY ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

(AP) An anonymous source within the Italian Bureau of Antiquities has informed the press that a historical discovery of ‘paramount importance’ has been made on the isle of Capri, where an earthquake recently revealed a long-sealed chamber. While declining to describe exactly what the discovery might be, the source did say that it could have a "profound impact on both Roman history and the early history of Christianity." Speculation abounds as to what Monday’s announcement will disclose, and journalists from around the world are congregating in Naples, in advance of Monday’s press conference. The chamber has been confirmed as dating to the reign of Tiberius Caesar, who was Emperor of Rome during the earliest years of the Christian era, when Jesus of Nazareth himself is said to have been crucified.

     That was the "teaser" article that Dr. Sinisi released to the world media Friday evening as we prepared to announce our discoveries to the world in a press conference on Monday.  After leaving Capri, we spent a beautiful weekend in Naples, getting settled into new digs (I'm staying at the Ambassador Suites, courtesy of Italy's Antiquities Bureau), and worked up our presentations for the media that Saturday.  Sunday we got a chance to rest - I spent the whole day with Isabella, and I could fill six entries with my feelings for her!
     But that's not what this journal is for.  Monday we held our press conference, showing the artifacts from the chamber and announcing the discovery of the two scrolls, which were already beginning to open as the papyrus rehydrated and regained its flexibility.  The media were fascinated with the relics we uncovered, but they went nuts when we revealed the existence of the Pontius Pilate scroll!  Suddenly our team has gone from being a gang of obscure antiquarians to being international celebrities!  That afternoon the first scroll, containing the will of Caesar Augustus, had rolled open enough to translate.  While it contained no particular surprises, it was still astonishing to see the firm, clear Latin handwriting of Rome's first Emperor just as crisp and clear as the day the will was composed.
     Watching the news coverage of the initial discovery Monday evening was a sharp lesson.  Even before the Pontius Pilate scroll was opened and read, one prominent atheist was already accusing our team of fraud and deception.  I'm not used to having my professional ethics questioned - none of us are - and the hostility of this Dr. Hubbard came as a real shock.  By Tuesday morning the Pilate scroll was largely unrolled, and Dr. MacDonald and I were able to translate it that afternoon.
    It's all we thought it was.  The full and complete report about the crucifixion of Jesus - and the events that followed!  I'll admit, I was terrified of what might be in that scroll.  What if it contradicted the Gospel narratives?  But enough of what I feared might be there - let me just copy the entire translation below:


"Lucius Pontius Pilate, Senior Legate, Prefect, and Proconsul of Judea, to Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, Princeps and Imperator of Rome, Greetings.

"Your Excellency, you know that it is the duty of every governor to keep you informed of events in the provinces that may in some way affect the well-being of the Empire. While I am loath to disturb your important daily work with a matter that may seem trivial at first, upon further reflection, and especially in light of subsequent developments, I find myself convinced that recent events in Judea merit your attention. And I would be telling an untruth if I were not to say that I am concerned that other accounts of these happenings may reach your ears which are not just unfavorable but frankly slanderous of my actions and motives. The situation was one of unusual difficulty and complexity, and hard decisions were called for. As always, I tried to make the decisions that I felt would most lend themselves to a peaceful and harmonious outcome for the citizens of the Republic and the people of Judea . . ."
  

A Tense Meeting, and a Farewell Dinner

     After we informed Dr. Guioccini and the President of the Antiquities Bureau, Dr. Castolfo, about our discovery of the Pontius Pilate scroll, we were told that the entire governing board of the Bureau of Antiquities would fly to the island this morning for an emergency meeting to decide how to proceed from here, and that we needed to make sure that the site was guarded not only by our security team, but also to make sure that two of us stayed onsite overnight, to avoid any allegations of tampering.  We spent the rest of the day trying to piece together some of the shredded documents from the reliquary, as the two scrolls sat in rehydration tanks so that they could be opened as soon as they regained enough pliability.
     We all went down to Capri Village at the end of the day so that we could eat a quick supper and clean up, then Isabella and I returned to the Villa Jovis.  As we walked up the mountain, we had a fascinating conversation about Pilate's report and what we thought it might contain.  This morphed into a broader conversation about the New Testament claims of Jesus' resurrection - I explained why I believe them to be true, while Isabella played devil's advocate and tried to come up with alternate explanations.  I think I won - at least, she told me that I gave her a lot to think about.  She also asked why I have never married - I was so tempted to say, "Because I was waiting to meet you!"  That's probably rushing things, but I have never met a woman I am so attracted to!
     This morning the other three team members joined us and we got everything ready for the board's arrival.  All  the artifacts that could be handled were displayed on a table or in Plexiglas cases, and the rehydration tanks were available for visual inspection.  Around 9 AM a chopper brought the nine members of the governing board of the Antiquities Bureau, plus a representative from the Vatican, to the Villa Jovis.
     Dr. Guioccini I had already met, and he seems like a good, competent scientist.  Vincent Sinisi, the Bureau's publicist, is a very tanned, handsome guy with brilliant white teeth who reminds me of an aging male model.  He smiles way too much for my taste, and seems to have eyes for Isabella.  Dr. Castolfo, the Board's President, is a heavyset man with much gravitas.  He reminds me of an Italian version of Raymond Burr.   Marc Stefani is the oldest board member at 83, and gets around with some difficulty.  He is very soft-spoken and kind.  Antonio Neapolitani is much younger, and works mainly with prehistoric archeology.  I remember reading a report he wrote about a Neanderthal site in northern Italy.  Cardinal Caesar Raphael is the Vatican's chief archeologist and Father MacDonald's superior.  He is tremendously respected in the world of Biblical archeology.  The next one to get off the chopper was a woman named Maria Tintoretto.  She is lean and hawk-faced, and seems to be perpetually angry - especially with any and all Christians!  I have known two kinds of atheists in my  life - those who simply don't believe and don't care if other people believe or not, and those who go through life oozing hostility to anyone they meet who dares to think that there is a God.  She is definitely the latter!  Next came Dr. Luigi Castellani, a classical historian and expert on the Roman era.  I would love to spend some time with him discussing Pompey, Caesar, and crew!  Last of all, the liaison between the Board and Italy's President, Ricardo Gandolfo, debarked, and the show and tell session could begin.
     First we took them to the chamber itself, and Isabella described how the earthquake uncovered it and what all was found there, then we moved into the mobile lab and showed them all the artifacts, as well as a slide show of the entire excavation. Dr. Castellani LOVED seeing the sword of Julius Caesar!  They announced that, since all the artifacts had been removed from the chamber and the government was anxious to have the Villa Jovis re-opened for tourism, the mobile lab and all the artifacts would be removed this afternoon to the National Historical Museum in Naples, where we will begin studying them next week.  Then we decamped to Dr. Rossini's house in Capri Village for a formal meeting of the Board.
     At the meeting, we were told that all five of us would be carrying out the curation, reading, and translation of all the texts from the chamber. Dr. Sinisi wants to inform the media of everything that we have found, including the fact that we discovered a scroll by Pontius Pilate, on Monday - he is anxious for the tourism and publicity that the find will generate.  There was some dissent on this, but a majority of the Board sided with him.  Monday we are holding a press conference!  With that and a few logistical issues decided, the Board left us, and we began preparing for a farewell dinner here at Giuseppe's house on Capri.  It's been a remarkable week for all of  us, and who knows what next week will bring, as we move our operation to Naples?  All I can think of is those two scrolls, sitting in their rehydration tanks, waiting to be read!
   Actually, that's a lie.  With the smells pouring from the kitchen, I am thinking of dinner right now!

An Amazing Discovery! I Still Can't Believe It!!!!!

We spent an entire day removing all the shredded papyrus from the reliquary inside the chamber, then all of us spent the night at Dr. Rossini's house in Capri village. (These entries are supposed to be more about our dig than about my emotions, but I have to say that I think am falling in love with Isabella.  She and I have now had several lengthy conversations, and my fascination with her is growing with each one. And - dare I say it - I think my interest may be returned!  My only regret is that she, as far as I can tell, is not a believer in Christ.  However, she is also open-minded about the Gospel - more so than most scientists I have known, anyway.  I don't know where this relationship is going, but I do believe it is going somewhere!)
     This morning we made the trek up the Via Tiberio, the road that leads up to the Villa Jovis, and with the help of our two security guards, we carefully moved the reliquary into the mobile lab.  Once there, we were able to use the key (with the help of a little WD-40!) to open the locked compartment in the top left corner of the reliquary.  Inside were two scrolls, still rolled up and sealed with the signet ring Isabella and Giuseppe found on the day they first entered the chamber - the ring of Tiberius Caesar himself!
     We carefully removed the first scroll from the compartment and laid it on a stainless steel tray in the lab.  Not only was it still sealed with Tiberius' ring, there were the remnants of an earlier, previous seal that had once been applied - and the Emperor had labeled the scroll, writing a few Latin words along the outside of the roll.  It was entitled "The Last Will and Testament of Caesar Augustus."
    What an amazing discovery!  The idea that we had, in our possession, a document written and sealed by Rome's first and greatest Emperor was breathtaking!  But there was still another sealed scroll to remove from the compartment.  Father MacDonald asked me to lift it out, so I placed it on a separate tray and leaned forward to read the label Tiberius had scribbled on the outside of it.
    When I saw what it was, my knees literally went out from under me.  They had to help me to a chair, and I couldn't even articulate what I had read for a moment.  A short, simple Latin label -
Testimonium Pontii Pilati Procuratoris Iudaeae  - "The Testimony of Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea."
     I am still in disbelief.  A report from the man who sent Jesus of Nazareth to the cross!  And what's more - I think I know what it is!  Justin Martyr, writing to the Emperor Antoninus Pius in 150 AD, was trying to get Nero's ban on Christianity lifted.  After explaining the story of the crucifixion, he told the Emperor that he could verify the truth of Justin's writings by consulting "the Acts of Pontius Pilate."  There was obviously some sort of report to Rome from Pilate about the trial of Jesus - after all, it caused a near-riot in Jerusalem - that was still extant over a century later.  Could this be it? Could this be the account of Jesus' trial by the very man who presided over it?  My heart is still racing at the thought!
     The entire governing board of the Bureau of Antiquities is supposed to come to Capri tomorrow to view our discoveries and decide how to proceed from here.  When this discovery is announced to the media, I think that our dig is going to become the most famous archeological excavation since the discovery of King Tut's tomb!
    

A crushing disappointment

     It's hard to write about the events of today - it was a real emotional roller coaster!
     Dr. Apriceno stayed up late last night cleaning the last of the stone dust from the chamber.  This morning we were able to walk in for the first time and see it exactly as Tiberius Caesar left it in 37 AD.  Isabella and Giuseppe got back from Naples this morning, and both were thrilled to see the sword, leaning against the wall like it was left there yesterday.  Removing it from the chamber was our first priority - the ancient leather was in risk of crumbling after being exposed to the air.
    So Father MacDonald and I carried it very gingerly to the lab, where we were finally able to see and photograph both sides of the scabbard.  The question of who the gladius belonged to is resolved - on the side of the scabbard that we couldn't see inside the chamber was a small silver plaque with an inscription that read "To Rome's Finest Son, Wield it with honor - Aurelia Cotta Caesar".  Aurelia was the mother of Gaius Julius Caesar himself, so this blade belonged to the greatest Roman of them all.  I have no doubt that it was the sword Caesar carried during his conquest of Gaul and throughout the Civic Wars. 
     In order to stabilize the scabbard, it had to go into a rehydration tank - which would have been terrible for the metal blade.  Therefore, we removed the sword from its sheath - to think it was last unsheathed by the Emperor of Rome!  I got that honor, and I am not ashamed to say that the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I drew the ancient blade from its scabbard!  It was perfectly preserved, with only a few rust spots down the blade.  Once sword and scabbard were stabilized, we returned to the chamber to look at the reliquary that stood against the back wall.
     It is a beautiful piece of wooden furniture, ornately carved with the Roman eagle, and embossed with the "SPQR" of the Republic and an invocation to Jupiter to protect the honor of the Julii.  It was originally designed to hold the funeral masks of the Julian family - it was Roman tradition to make a mold of a person's face while they were still alive, and use it to craft a precise mask that would be worn by hired actors during the funeral procession.  But Tiberius, in his letter, said he had transferred the masks to a new cabinet and was using this one to store his personal correspondence.  You can imagine how excited we were to finally open it!
   The doors were not locked - there was only a simple latch holding them shut - but when we opened them, all five of us let out cries of disappointment.  Sometime in the last twenty centuries, rats had gotten into the cabinet and shredded every scroll to make their nests.  Hundreds of bits of papyrus filled the bottom of the cabinet and spilled out onto the floor as we opened the doors.  Most of them are the size of postage stamps, although some are bigger.  Maybe in ten years, a dedicated crew of manuscript experts can piece them together - but it was still a crushing blow to our hopes of retrieving the intact correspondence of a Roman emperor!
     There is one bit of hope left, though.  In the top right hand corner of the cabinet is a compartment that is locked tight.  We are hoping that the "horse head key" from the leather purse we found might fit it.  Maybe that is where old Tiberius kept his most important scrolls!  We can only hope . . .

CAESAR'S SWORD

     This morning we took the ancient drawstring purse from the hidden drawer and X-rayed it - the leather is still to stiff to open it without damaging the purse.  The horse head effigy is actually part of a key - perhaps to the cabinet that is in the back of the chamber? Or to some long-lost door here in the Villa Jovis?  There are several other objects in there; one is definitely a coin; the others we can't make out clearly enough to be sure.
     Dr. Apriceno has collected pollen and dust samples from every surface inside the chamber, and spent the day slowly vacuuming out the stone dust so that we can finish inventorying and removing the artifacts from the chamber.  This is slow, intensive work that precludes anyone else from being inside, so Isabella and Dr. Rossini flew over to Naples to report to the Antiquities Bureau what we have found so far. The Bureau is also sending over some security guards so that we can go down and stay in Capri Village tonight instead of camping in tents up here.
     Dr. MacDonald and I had just placed the purse inside a rehydration tank that will make the leather supple enough to open it when Dr. Apriceno came over to the mobile lab, very excited about something she had just found.  The two of us followed her to the chamber to see what it was.
     She had said earlier that it looked like there might be something leaning against the wall next to the cabinet in the back of the chamber, but the dust was so thick there it was hard to be sure.  It had taken her several hours to vacuum her way back to that corner, but she had finally gotten to it and removed enough dust to make out what the object was.
     Only the top half had been uncovered, but Duncan and I took one look and let out an excited whoop!  There, resting against the back wall, was a completely intact Roman gladius.  The wooden and ivory pommel were still intact, and the sword was actually in its scabbard.  Attached just below the top of the scabbard was a tarnished silver plate with some Latin words inscribed on it.  We took multiple photos, then told Simone to continue removing the dust and dirt that encased the ancient blade, so that we could remove it to the lab as soon as possible.
     Back in the lab, I uploaded the pictures to our computer and magnified them on the large monitor so that I could decipher the inscription.  It read:

“Ferrum et honorem Iulii” 

     "The Blade and Honor of the Julii."  The Julii - the most famous family of ancient Rome.  We have uncovered the sword of a Caesar - the only question is, which one?  Tiberius, Augustus, or Gaius Julius Caesar himself?  This is an exciting development, and a major discovery!

The Emperor's Letter

     I knew that Italy was legendary for its food, but the dinner that Dr. Rossini brought up from the restaurant in Capri Village was amazing!  I don't know how much longer I can keep my eyes open after eating so much, but I wanted to finish describing what we found today.
     Due to the very public location of the site, and the disruption of Capri's tourist trade cause by our excavations, the Antiquities Bureau has decided to remove all the artifacts from the chamber as quickly as possible and transport them to the mainland for study.  After I arrived at lunch today, we took the small writing table and the objects on it out of the chamber and into the mobile lab, where Dr. MacDonald spent the afternoon cleaning centuries of grime off of the letter that was on top of the table so we could read it.  As I noted earlier, the letter was left lying flat on top of the heavily lacquered table top, and the weight of centuries' worth of stone dust had caused the papyrus to bond to the table top.  Separating it from the table was out of the question, so Father MacDonald and I sat on either side of the ancient table in our lab and transcribed, then translated, its contents.  It's a fairly short note from the Emperor Tiberius to his steward.  Here is what it said - I'll record both the Latin and my translation of it:

Tiberius Caesar ad Mencius Marcellus, senescallus Villa Jovis

 Ego sum ​​Romam - aliquid iuravi numquam, sed politica relinquere me paulo electio. Occasio est nolle redire mihi - septuaginta octo sum tamen, et insolentia itineris. In procinctu reditus villam custodiendam et dimittere extra culinam virgam redde choros mittere domo mea ob parentum. Tu suscipe verba non revertar - videlicet quod mortuus fuit itineris mei - conscripsi cubiculum velit signa sua. Non opus puer serpens Gaius ad pawing per privatas litteras! Ut scilicet ponat in cubiculo Capsula - Proin transtulit ad annos funere imaginum, sed etiam usu congregem correspondentia nolo aliis legi. Illud in latere et caemento, ut omne tempus quieta foret! Tibi serviet mihi etiam amicum. Hoc mihi operae pretium et loculos a mensa. Deos ora pro nobis - redeo ad nidum serpentium!

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus

 

 

As near as I can translate it, that means:

Tiberius Caesar to Mencius Marcellus, Steward of Villa Jovis

I am returning to Rome - something I swore never to do, but politics leave me little choice.  There is a good chance that I will not return - I am seventy-eight, after all, and unaccustomed to travel. Keep the villa in readiness for my return, but dismiss the extra kitchen staff, and pay off the dancers and send them home, with my thanks to their parents.  Should you receive word that I will not return - in other words, that I have died on my journey - please seal up my writing chamber and its contents.  No need for that young serpent Gaius to go pawing through my private letters!  Be sure to place the reliquary in the chamber as well - I transferred the funerary masks to a new cabinet years ago, but I still use it to store correspondence that I don't want others reading, and mementos that are mine alone.  Brick it up and mortar it in, that it may be undisturbed for all time!  You have served me well, old friend.  Do me this last service, and take the purse from the table as payment. Entreat the gods on my behalf - I return to a nest of serpents!

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus

 

So simple, so routine, yet it leaves us wondering so much!  Tiberius is an enigmatic figure, condemned by later Roman historians as a tyrant and a pedophile - yet none of that comes through in this short missive.  We do know that he left Capri for Rome in 37 AD, and died on that journey - some say he was smothered by the Legate Macro of his own Praetorian Guards!  So this chamber has been sealed for almost two thousand years.  I will admit that I am absolutely aflame with curiosity to see what is in that sealed cabinet.    What was so important to the old emperor that he would seal it under lock and key, then order the chamber walled up forever?

 While Duncan and I were studying the papyrus on top of the table, Dr. Sforza (I guess I should start calling her Isabella, but it still feels awkward!) noticed that there appeared to be a hidden drawer underneath the table.  We found the catch that releases it, and inside there were several (we think) blank sheets of papyrus, with a leather drawstring purse resting on top of them.  We haven't moved it yet - that will be tomorrow's task - but I can see a tiny porcelain horse's head peeking out the top of the bag.  A toy? A religious token?  I don't know, but it appears remarkably life-like!

 Last of all, I did get to talk with Dr. Rossini this evening and found out why he was eyeing me suspiciously earlier.  Apparently he is something of a mentor and father figure to Isabella, and he suspects that I might be some sort of American Casanova out to take advantage of her loneliness (her husband died about five years ago).  I assured him that was not my intention! (I can hear my grad school classmates in my mind, collapsing in hysterical laughter at the thought of me ever seducing anyone. Shut up, guys!)  But he did say one thing that got my attention - apparently, Isabella is looking at me in a way she hasn't looked at anyone since she lost her husband.  At least, that is what Giuseppe seems to think.  Why on earth would someone that beautiful ever give me a second glance, though?